Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi or the Most Holy Body
and Blood of Christ. A core
belief of our Catholic faith is the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament of
the Eucharist. I heard a story from
Matthew Kelly really that brings home how strong a belief there is in Christ’s real
presence in the Eucharist. We may
take Christ’s presence for granted having the Eucharist so readily available,
but I hope this story enkindles a desire in your heart to be in His presence.
There
was a priest who formerly was a lay missionary in China decades ago. He had made
a return trip to a village he served in.
There were still many priests and bishops in China who are imprisoned
for not ceding control of their churches to the communist government, so he went
incognito to help prevent any trouble among the people he visited. No one knew he was a priest since
he had been away so long. On the
second night of his stay he was awakened by a commotion in the house. He got up to find out what was going on
and was told, “We are going to the wall”. He asked an old woman there what “the wall” was. She smiled as said, “come and see
for yourself”.
The
priest dressed quickly and left with about a dozen people. As they walked to a remote wooded area deep
in the surrounding hills several others joined them along the way. By the time they arrived there were
about 120 men, woman, and children.
The priest noticed there were men up in trees around the perimeter that
appeared to be on the lookout.
In the clearing there were remains of an old decaying building. The old women who invited him to come
smiled and seemed excited, as were the other people, but the priest very was
scared. As they approached the
wall everyone knelt down. An old
man got up, went to the wall, pulled out a brick and reached inside withdrawing
a small monstrance, an special chamber made of precious metal used to display
the Eucharist. All 120 people knelt
for an hour in prayer in silent wonder and awe. An hour later the old man returned the Eucharist and all
went back quietly to their homes.
What
would cause these 120 people to leave their homes in the middle of the night
risk their lives: their belief in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and His real
presence in the Eucharist. This
feast of Corpus Christi is a time to reflect on this gift that God has given us
and to regain a sense of the same wonder and awe expressed by these Chinese
villagers.
When
we come to Mass we participate in Christ’s sacrifice. This element of the sacrifice
is often overlooked. St. Paul tells us that each time we receive the Eucharist
we “proclaim the death of the Lord”. This is symbolized when Father Vince/Anto
elevates the host and chalice of wine separately as Christ’s body and blood as an
offering to God at the prayers of consecration. When we fully
participate in the Mass we should show great reverence and respect for our Lord’s
sacrifice, such as we do for a cherished loved one who has died. In the Mass we are called to
solemnly remember Christ’s sacrifice for us.
We
also experience Christ’s presence in the Eucharistic under the appearance of
bread and wine offered at the Last Supper. St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians
was the earliest of the apostle’s writings in regards to the celebration of the
Eucharistic. We can clearly hear by Christ’s words, “This is my body” and “this
cup is the new covenant in my blood”, that Jesus meant what he said: It is His body and His blood. When Fr. Vince/Anto says these words at
the consecration the bread and wine transforms into Christ’s body and blood, a
mystery of faith we as Catholics accept and believe. At this point of Mass we can recall the words of Thomas
recognizing Jesus and say silently to ourselves, “my Lord and My God”. Just prior to receiving communion
Father Vince/Anto breaks off a small piece of the host and drops it in the
wine. This represents the
restoration of the body and blood in the resurrected Christ. When we receive
communion we are nourished with Christ’s body, blood, soul, and divinity to reconcile
us with God which helps us to love God & our neighbor. Christ also commands
us to, “do this in memory of me”, which is a call to continually celebrate the
Eucharist, keeping His presence always among us.
We
as well anticipate with joyful hope that Christ will return in glory. St. Paul tells us that every time we “eat
this bread and drink the cup we proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes
again”. From the very beginning the disciples firmly held the belief of Christ’s
return. In the early Church the belief
of Jewish Christians was that Christ would return during Passover. They would celebrate their Passover
traditions until 3:00 a.m., waiting for Christ’s return. If He did not return they would
continue to celebrate the Eucharist so Christ would still be present in the
sacrament. We as well continue to
celebrate the Eucharist with our hope of Christ’s return so we can be with him
in glory.
Now,
returning to the opening story the priest revealed the next day to his guests who
he was. The villagers told
him there had not been a Mass in their village in over 10 years. They shared that over that time
they would go to the wall each week in the middle of night risking their lives
so they could spend an hour with Jesus. Later that day the priest celebrated a Mass for them
at the wall and replaced the host with a fresh one. In his later years the priest said this experience was the
highlight of his priesthood.
I
pray that each and one of you experience the wonder and awe of being in
Christ’s presence as each of the villagers did. It’s especially helpful when
you’re having a rough day and share your troubles with Jesus & need to feel
a sense of peace. You can be with
the Lord during Mass every day or you can stop in the chapel at any time to be
with the Lord. You’ll always be glad you did. May God bless you.
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